In pursuit of Order
by Novalon
Summary: A short narrative that begins inbetween Suikoden 2 and 3, and ultimately ends after Suikoden 3. Slight spoilers ahead... PG for talks of slaughter and whatnot. *Chapter 3 UP!*
1. The meeting of Order and Chaos

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In pursuit of Order

A short Suikoden narration

By: Novalon

"Maggots…"

He spat the word out menacingly, glaring at the two who barred his path.

The teenage boy, his legs shaking, stood with anger in his eyes, holding out his spear, Sigurd.

"I cannot let you pass, Yuber… this is Dragon Knight territory, and so help me, I will protect it's borders from the likes of you!"

His demonic black armor gleamed, a smile forming on the lips of the one who put to flame the village of the Soul Eater.

"I would have expected better words out of you, boy… your past leaders have not even tried to stand against me in battle, they were smart. What makes you think that your strength greatly outweighs your stupidity?"

Silence…

His insidious laugh echoed off of the entrance to the land of the dragons. However, the sound was joined by the ringing of a sword, one not his own.

"He's not the only one."

Yuber watched as the gleam of the Muramasa blade came into view. It's wielder, the tank-like knight, Humphrey, cast a stoic glare on the demonic knight.

The two stared in silence, before Yuber drew out two blades, identical to each other.

"Those blades… closely look like halves to that which Pesmerga wielded…" observed Humphrey.

Yuber snorted, "Of course, King Crimson is rather popular where both of us originate… some like myself prefer the more agile form of it, however…"

Humphrey motioned to the teenage Dragon Knight.

"Futch… it's best that you leave…"

The boy shook his head, his resolve gathering.

"You didn't abandon me when I lost Black… I won't abandon you in your fight!"

Yuber belted out another insidious laugh, "Cute… it will make you suffer that much more when one of you is the first to die…"

He smirked, waiting for effect.

"I rather enjoy a good old fashioned slaughter."

Before Humphrey could react, Yuber was already calling on the power of a rune that had been unnoticed previously.

"Power of the Eightfold… that which brings order…"

The spell itself was nothing short of horror… Yuber phased into three forms of himself, all striking at Humphrey in rapid succession.

And for the first time Futch had ever seen… Humphrey fell to one knee. His well-made Windspun armor picked up from the halls of Gregminster palace still in place, with the greatest protection known to mortal men.

The fact that Humphrey had actually been brought down shown how much damage was clearly done by the attack. Futch was thanking whoever was watching over him…

Yuber grimaced, "It seems you're still alive… the star of Tenyu protects you as well… interesting…"

He turned to Futch, outstretching his right-hand sword.

"I'll enjoy cutting up your young friend to put as much mental suffering as the physical suffering I put your body through…"

As he walked forward, intending to rip the boy to shreds with his twin blades, a grim voice rang out.

"Power of the Ninefold… that which brings chaos…"

As Futch held up his spear in defense of the sword in front of him, barely hearing the voice, he watched as three very familiar forms slammed into Yuber, knocking him into the cavern wall.

"Pesmerga!"

He hated to think it at this time, but Futch could clearly see a similarity between the two, despite the fact they were of opposing sides.

"I sense your confusion in the sudden usage of my power, Futch…" Pesmerga's cold voice could almost be mistaken for the malice spoken by Yuber.

"It's very simple, you little maggot… like the twins of Harmonia… we are but shadows of one being…"

Pesmerga nodded, "Yes, we are but created from one being, he who once held the True Rune of Balance… that of Yin and Yang… Order and Chaos…"

Yuber spoke once again, "And when one of us is defeated… the other will hold the other part of the rune high… and the runes will be joined, the result giving the victor the power of the former being…"

They both spoke the name with an odd reverence.

"Matsamura."

An odd yellowish light surrounded Yuber, his sneer lighting up in the darkness.

"We shall fight again, _dear brother_."

He spat out the last words with a grimace. Pesmerga nodded, gripping a fist with his rune-hand.

"I'll see to it that your running blood will truly give a name to King Crimson."

The bearer of Order vanished. Silence filled the cave once again. Suddenly, Pesmerga spoke again, 

"I must depart, to follow him…"

He nodded to the two knights,

"However, it was nice to see you again, perhaps a time will come again when will we see each other…"

And he left, his heavy armor making no sound as he quickly set off into the distance.

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"Futch…"

Humphrey coughed, his voice having trouble forming words. He grimaced, laying his head back on the pillow of the bed he lay in.

"Yuber has given me an injury that will take long to recover from… but I am sure that the clerics of the Dragon Knights will take good care of me… but when I do recover, I will most likely be far too old to go up against power like that again… I am quite old even now, Futch."

The teenage knight stepped forward, concerned with the amount of words Humphrey was saying, as the warrior was normally quiet.

"I want you to… take my sword, Futch. Wield the Muramasa… if I cannot go up against Yuber again, then I want you to bring honor to my blade by sating it's thirst for his blood. I think I will relax here… perhaps I will even see you grow to be a great knight… and maybe I will see you become a high ranking knight yourself… Bright should serve you well, it was a good dragon that we saved along with Kent…"

He coughed again.

"Give… Lord Riou, grandson of Genkaku… and Lord Tir, son of Teo, my regards… one day I will see their forever young faces once again…"

A small chuckle unbecoming of him bubbled from the tired lips.

"Hopefully your knighthood will be better than it has been recently… your babysitting of Lady Milia's daughter… Sharon… is rather humorous, but it is unbecoming of a knight that I know will do well."

His eyes began to close.

"Become a great knight… Futch."

He fell into a deep sleep, Futch thankfully noting that Humphrey was not yet to pass from this world. He picked up the blade from the bedside in awe.

"I will… avenge your injury, Sir Humphrey."

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The lakeside castle of Limberry stood high, the beating sun shining on the champion of Flame.

"Sir Futch, I must truly thank you, in all the honor I can show as a warrior of Karaya, that your aiding the Fire Bringer was probably the best that we could have ever hoped for."

Futch, 4th rank Dragon Knight smiled at the young bearer of the True Fire Rune, "Not a problem, Hugo, it was great to aid in yet another struggle against the forces bring destruction… even if I did have a connection with one of them on a more personal level… and it was nice for my sword to taste the blood of Yuber too…"

The last one made him smile, yet he still felt unfulfilled that Yuber was still alive. He had gone with Geddoe in securing the True Lightning Rune, and the teleporting away of Yuber did not make him happy.

A young Zexen soldier ran up to the two, his voice shaking.

"Sir Futch! Th-the legendary warrior of the Liberation army… the Tank of Liberation himself! Sir H-H-Humphrey is here to see you!"

Futch's eyes grew wide, he had not seen Humphrey since he departed to Gregminster to aid Kai in the training of President Lepant's army of the Republic.

"Futch…"

He turned to the aging knight, surprised that he still had the strength to make such a trip on his own.

"Sir Humphrey…"

The knight nodded, "I hear that you have crossed swords with Yuber once again…"

Futch nodded, "Yes, but he still lives. On my honor as a 4th rank Dragon knight… after I test for my 3rd rank once I return, I will track him down and destroy the monster."

"Reminds me a bit of Pesmerga…"

He nodded, turning around, "Speaking of which, he journeyed here with me."

They watched as the knight in black armor strode silently up to them, nodding to the bearer of the True Fire Rune.

"You are Hugo, I gather… I have heard of your recent conflict with Luc… as a former companion in battle, I have my regrets… but the fact that he sided with Yuber has confused me greatly…"

He then turned to Futch, acknowledging him, "And I hear you still wish to avenge Humphrey's injury from the Eightfold rune… if you wish to accompany me, I suggest you speak up now."

Futch nodded, "All I need to do is make a quick stop at the Dragon Knight's fortress before I go. I trust we will be ready for him when the time comes, he seems to weaken as I fight him again and again."

Pesmerga nodded, "That is merely a misconception, you are, in fact, much stronger than you were before, Futch."

The Dragon Knight was truly much stronger than he had been as a teenager, it helped also that he was at his peak physical strength. He nodded to Yuber before mounting Bright.

"We must do this quickly then…"

He turned to Humphrey, "Sir Humphrey, it has been an honor seeing you again."

To Hugo, "Hugo, I hope you use the True Rune to the best of your ability."

Bright let out a screech and was off to the air.

Pesmerga turned, Humphrey nodding to Hugo in the form of a goodbye before following him.

The Knight of Chaos turned to Humphrey, a smile on his features that had never been seen before, "Come, we must hurry to the fortress… I am sure the Dragon Knight will prove to be a great ally in the fight against Yuber…"

The two walked off into the distance, warriors of an era long ago, and those whose lives were touched in the pursuit of Order.

Author's Note: My first Suikoden fan fiction should prove to be interesting, I hope that many a review could come out of this short narration. I know I am not really one to continue my stories, especially from lack of reviews (especially on the friggen Chrono Trigger poem I've worked so hard on), but perhaps I just need to write more to improve my credibility. I hope that you enjoyed this work, and will read (and hopefully review) my other works.

- Novalon


	2. Enter the Dragon

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In Pursuit of Order

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Chapter 2: Succession and Obsession

By: Novalon

The peaked towers of the fortress gleamed, reflecting the light off of a smooth crystal base reinforced with metallic alloys and rich earthly stone.

To Futch, it was the perfect mix of nature and technology, a testament to those who like change, yet enjoy the past.

Patting Bright on the head, he strode to the front gates, giving silence and expecting the same in return. The guards opened the doors without hesitation.

No one messed with the successor to the Murasame, and no one messed with a man fulfilling his honor through a quest.

Entering a plush, yet sparsely decorated room, he kneeled, allowing his sword to penetrate the ground beneath him in a time-honored symbol of fealty.

"You may rise, Sir Futch."

He nodded, slowly moving from his position and stared straight ahead at his leader.

"I have heard of what you did in the grasslands, and I am glad that you were able to find and assist the Fire Bringer."

He nodded.

"I also know that you have briefly come back to test for your third rank, as it will grant you more of a reprieve to continue on your sworn quest. However, I worry for you, Futch, for the creature you seek is a great evil that has power greater than that of many mortal warriors…"

He looked deep into her tearing eyes.

"That is why, Futch, that for your test of the third rank, you must seek out the treasure in the very heart of the dragon caves. Once there, after all obstacles have been faced, you must receive that which is at the end… for it will help you in your coming battle, and it will prove to me that you are ready for your third rank."

He nodded, finally finding the words to answer her with.

"I shall commence with the testing immediately, Lady Millia."

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He strode silently through the cave, his sword gripped tightly in his right arm. He had wished he brought Bright along to provide him with assistance in case he found anything hostile in the darkness, but he knew that this would be an obstacle he would have to pass on his own.

Already, he had fended off numerous bats, among other feral creatures during his journey through, and had found multiple passages, some leading to dead ends and others with aging machinery that he had to manipulate… switches… in order to grind open other passages in the enclosed space.

At last, he came to a room, where at it's end stood an altar. He strode up cautiously, the Murasame outstretched in front of him.

_Be on your guard._

He stopped, plainly hearing a familiar voice echo within the reaches of his mind. Eyeing the altar in front of him, he calmly surveyed the area, finding that he was still alone.

_It is not that which is in front of you that you must fight, but that which is to come._

Again, the voice was painstakingly familiar.

_You have been chosen for this path because of all you have previously stood for before… you, in fact, are the one who is to succeed me…_

He couldn't quite place who was speaking to him though.

_And here I have left, my once mortal tie to this world, which left me with 508 long years of life, much of which I have to show for it rests within these walls, and flourishes across the countryside._

All of a sudden, the room was brightened, showing bygone pictures of knights riding on dragons, battles being fought for honor… and at last one, the largest, which stood at the very end of the room behind the altar, which was adorned with heavily jeweled crests, and gold plated stone.

"Lord Joshua…"

_My saving grace, my life enduring, all that's left of it sealed upon this altar, waiting in which case for the one who will take my place as the successor to it. I had already warned Millia to keep our daughter away from it… I only hope you can do the same… by accepting it yourself, Futch._

He was utterly speechless with what he had to behold, here, much like the True Fire and the True Water rune… was where Joshua's True Dragon rune was sealed. Now he knew why he was sent here… if he was going to go after Yuber, he would need the power of a True rune to stop him. He reflected upon the last statement in amazement.

"Millia also didn't mention that Joshua was the father of Sharon… perhaps it was for the best, too many unsettling memories to turn up I suppose…"

He didn't know how long Joshua had sealed the rune up, but he knew that in doing so, he basically signed his death warrant, for it was not long that a horrible disease had swept through the area, and if it wasn't for the efforts of Doctor Huan, and his already aspiring apprentice, Tuta (who was now a great doctor himself), there would have been many more deaths as well.

_Do you accept that which you have been chosen for, Futch?_

He nodded, sheathing the Murasame.

_You face is stoic, and I notice you tend to speak less… hanging around Humphrey a bit much, haven't you? Ah well, he is a very good warrior, I'm sure he is very proud that you have wielded his sword well… which is why I will be proud when you wield my rune… now extend your right hand, Futch._

He did so, his expression unchanging as a bright white enveloped the room.

_Much as they called Hiro of the grasslands the Flame Champion, with Hugo being his successor, so you shall be called the Dragonian Protector… hopefully the only successor to myself. Wield your power, knowing fully well the consequences of using it… and remember always, in your long life, the way of the knights._

The light dissipated as Futch felt a slight warmness to his right hand. He looked down to see the outline of a majestic dragon burn brightly on it before shimmering out into whatever recesses of his own existence.

Hunt down the demon quickly, before he takes more lives, Dragonian Protector, I will be watching over you.

Futch made his way out of the cavern, from time to time he glanced at his right hand, still seeing a faint light come from the symbol.

"You will pay, Yuber…"

He viciously slashed at a bat heading right for him, slicing it in two.

"You will pay for all people that you have killed, and you will pay for the injury in which you gave to Humphrey. I, Futch Arrowny, 3rd rank Dragon Knight, and successor to the True Rune of the Dragons swear that one day you will pay, and you will fall!"

Any nearby creatures in the cavern scattered at his thunderous voice as the rune glowed brightly on his right hand.

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"Are you ready?"

He turned at hearing the voice, acknowledging it with a grim nod.

"I am ready Pesmerga, for whatever lies ahead. Shall we be going now?"

The man nodded, "I have heard rumors that he disturbs an uncharted area quite near to where the True rune of Fire had once been sealed… we should investigate that area."

Futch mounted his dragon, motioning for Pesmerga to get on the one that Futch had acquired for him due to his new rank.

"Futch!"

He turned, seeing the face of his old friend and mentor.

"Sir Humphrey…"

The man silently regarded him, wrinkled lines of worry appearing on his forehead.

"Good luck."

Futch nodded, and turned to leave.

"Sir Futch."

He turned again to see that Lady Millia had come to see him off.

"Yes, Milady?"

She nodded, "May the light of the dragon's fire shine with you wherever you go… may the True Dragon rune protect you well. Joshua would be proud to know that such a great knight succeeded him…"

Futch allowed himself to respond with a slight smile.

"I thank you, Milady. But now, I must be off to ensure that the demon does not take any more innocent lives."

He ordered Bright to take off, Pesmerga following silently behind him on his own Dragon as they passed off into the air, silhouetting themselves on the setting sun.

This fan fiction is a tie-in to "Runes and Revelations"… not much else to say, each chapter of the fanfics takes place relatively close to the other, if you notice. Not much else to say except the more reviews I get, the more determined I will be to see this through to it's conclusion, so don't let the dust collect on those review buttons, kiddies!

- Novalon


	3. Bringing Chaos to Order

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In Pursuit of Order

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Chapter 3: Bringing Chaos to Order

By: Novalon

As the wind whipped by his hair, Futch began to reminisce as he gazed upon the fleeting clouds beneath him.

_He watched as Sharon, Milia's daughter had been given her own set of armor, and her own weapon._

"Know this, young Knight, that the rules shall be upheld wherever you may go. Always be reminded of them throughout whatever journeys life sets you out on."

He grimaced, knowing that whatever assignment she received as a knight would be supervised by him… he thought he had been rid of her, but realized that it was only the beginning…

"Your next assignment, will be to investigate the recent activities noticed in the grasslands. It seems a group known as the 'Fire Bringer' has risen, yet we know not what it's purpose is. If it's intentions are good, if you can discover their intentions, by your honor, you will need to assist them in any way possible."

A bird narrowly missed him, and he cursed, realizing he shouldn't think about such things as he was flying around.

Pesmerga nodded to him, motioning of a place that would be good to land at.

He recalled his first meeting of the man almost instantly.

_The loss of Black was a change that was difficult to prepare for. The dragon had been a creature that gave meaning to his life, as a knight, and as a protector of dragons. The dying fall of Black had left him with many injuries and he would not have survived had it not been for his immediate teleportation to the castle's medical facilities, courtesy of Viki._

After finally healing from his injuries, he had wandered the halls, a piece of him somehow missing.

"Your thoughts weigh heavily upon you, young one."

He turned, looking eye to eye with one of Master McDohl's odd recruits from a trip to Neclord's castle.

"Sir Pesmerga… I don't think anyone else would know what it feels like…"

The other man grimaced, turning his back. As Futch turned to walk away, thinking the man had ended the conversation, suddenly his voice was heard again.

"In my many years of life, I have seen many hardships… at a time before I had basically killed my emotions, I had dealt with enough depression to send ten men to despair… but I fought it, in pursuit of the one man who stands between me and my destiny…"

Futch saw as he turned, that the man's dark eyes had some semblance of sadness in them.

"Yuber took away one of the few things my people treasured, along with a weapon that should not have fallen into his hands. The Eightfold rune should only be given to those who have great power in their mind to handle it, otherwise, those who have already fallen to madness will only fall worse. He practically slaughtered every single person I have ever felt any sort of companionship to…"

All fell silent…

The stoic glare added a tinge of sadness.

"You could take your depression, and quadruple it… and it would be the closest thing that I've found to happiness in two thousand years…"

The man really knows how to put life in perspective, doesn't he?

Bright's rough landing awoke him from his trance, as he suddenly could feel through the rune the reason for which Pesmerga thought they should land here.

_The power of Order, in the hands of a madman draws near._

"He's here, isn't he?"

Pesmerga nodded, "We should exercise caution… he is deep within this area it seems… perhaps it is yet another resting place of a true rune… or perhaps this is the seal in which the True rune of Balance had been placed long ago…"

Futch drew the Muramasa, pointing to a small path near the mountains ahead of them.

"It is best that we hurry then, who knows what kind of plans Yuber has with this place."

Pesmerga silently followed him as they slowly made their way down the path.

They followed the winding path, nearly running full on into a group of Troll Dragons that had previously been unseen.

Pesmerga went to the offensive, his rune flickering into action, as several images of him quickly attacked the neck of the first dragon in front of them.

The creature's body fell and disintegrated, as it's head was severed with a sickeningly loud slice.

Pesmerga wasted no time attacking the next one, finding himself surrounded with blue fire as he leapt up once more.

The next dragon was resilient, tearing it's claws into Pesmerga and throwing him back to Futch's position. As the Black armored warrior fell to the ground with a light metallic thud, he quickly leapt up and brought King Crimson to a defensive position.

He nodded to Futch as the two crossed swords and slashed at the dragon with a vicious X-cut attack.

Four sections of the beast fell, and promptly hit the ground, disappearing on impact.

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The next dragon was at least twice the size of a normal one, Futch grimaced as he realized the severity of the situation.

"Pesmerga… distract that thing… I'm going to see what I can do with my rune."

The warrior nodded, leaping up once again to ensure that the beast would be promptly distracted, though he was thrown down as a wave of blue fire washed over him. Leaping back to the offensive, he used his sword to cut through another wave of blue fire, coming up to the midsection of the beast and giving it a slight cut.

No effect…

Damn the luck they had to run into one of the strongest monsters either of them had ever seen.

Futch slowly brought his right hand up, a bright light enveloping it.

"Power of that which binds the planet with the majesty of Dragons, I call upon you…"

Pesmerga was thrown into the side of the mountain, recoiling and dodging another blast of fire.

"Strike down this one that has forsaken your honorable ways…"

Several rocks began to fall down the mountain as the fire that had missed Pesmerga had lurched into it with full force. He called upon the power of his Ninefold rune once again.

"Ninefold rune… that which brings chaos, I call upon you…"

Futch pointed at the dragon, as energies began to cascade around him.

"I call upon the power to fell this beast with that of the greatest power known to this planet…"

Their calls became intermixed, as they suddenly found that the powers of their runes interweaved within each other.

"By the power of the Dragon's honor…"

"By the power of Chaos…"

A runic unite attack… with true runes…

"Power of the ages, power of the darkest night, unleash with your power to aid my fight. Unleash with your fury, and destroy, no less. Combine the powers that our runes both possess… Bring out the power, to strengthen the loss… Combine the Dragon with the wrath of Chaos!!! **DRAGON SLAYER**!"

A beam of black power suddenly slammed into the massive creature causing it to crash into the mountain, roll several hundred feet, and finally slam onto the ground, where it was covered in rocks that had been knocked off during it's fall.

Futch breathed heavily as suddenly, he felt a powerful presence near.

"Do you… feel that, Pesmerga?"

The other warrior nodded, clutching his right hand in exertion.

"Yes… I'm glad it's not Yuber…"

The far off power suddenly made Futch have a sort of flashback again.

_Standing in the courtyard of Gregminster's castle, he let out a sigh of discontent._

"General McDohl's boy is late for his assignment… why do I even bother going on missions like these?"

Suddenly, he saw them, a small entourage with a young man about Futch's age stepping up wearing a green bandana around his head. With him, a man adorned with a green cloak that carried a dangerous looking axe, a man who was decked out with gigantic muscles, and a woman who possessed superior marksmanship with what looked to be a bow, and a young boy who also carried a bow, but there was something about him that didn't seem right, the look in his eyes carried a far more adult knowledge than any child he had ever met…

But he took them to the Magician's Isle as promised, surprised that they had taken care of whatever dangers had awaited them, and returned safely through teleportation, courtesy of the seer's apprentice, Luc…

He watched Luc's angry glare as Hugo called his final entourage to him… Sir Geddoe, Lady Chris, the teleportress Viki, Luc's brother: Sarsarai, and finally… himself.

As Luc's body became the catalyst for the unleashing of power, a runic beast, much like what the previous stars of destiny fought, roared to the challenge of the living in the area.

To say it was monstrous was an understatement, the multi-segmented runic parts were considered nigh-omnipotent, and the creature itself had the power to practically take out everyone with one fell swoop. Viki had been put to work as the healer, her practice in Shield magic being very high allowed her to use Great Blessing (very remnant of Riou and his Bright Shield) to it's fullest extent, and Futch used his knowledge of various support runes to aid in the battle.

Once the Water section of the beast fell, it's resurrecting capabilities soon were destroyed, and the beast fell after, though not before causing considerable damage to the party.

Futch was sure this battle would have been proven easier had Riou, Jowy, and Tir given their assistance, but alas, during the time they were unable to be found… he was one of the few original stars of destiny who joined the Fire Bringer.

He had remembered when Riou had stormed L'Renouille along with Viktor, Flik, Tir, Humphrey, and Pesmerga. The team had been considered due to a very defensively sound front line, along with a reasonably magical powered rear line, with Flik adding his own magical capabilities through his Thunder Rune that he had picked up during the battle against Emperor Barbarossa. They had battled the Beast Rune, True rune of the Feral spirit of Lycanthropy, into submission…

That in itself was reminiscent of even the very first battle that Futch had recalled, where Tir had told the account of a horrible battle against a 3 headed dragon powered by the Sovereign Rune, True rune of a Ruler's protection… the team there being Tir, Flik, Viktor, Alen, Grenseal, and Cleo. The 'pretty boy attack' done by the team of Flik, Alen, and Grenseal was considered to be the most powerful attack in their arsenal, and they used it until it was nearly perfect…

He cursed himself for not paying attention to what was going on around him, for soon he felt the power of the runes that had been far off suddenly so close to him. He turned to Pesmerga, who nodded.

"I can sense the presence of therunes around the corner… when they get close enough we should be able to…"

_Devourer of souls… Truest power over Life and Death…_

"Tir?" Futch practically croaked, looking over at Pesmerga.

"If I look around the corner, they may see me… perhaps it is not Tir, because even a rune's power can be taken…"

His eyes seemed to show sadness before they returned to their stoic glare.

_Shield of Light…Truest power of Defense…_

"Riou?"

_Sword of Darkness… Truest power of Attack…_

"His friend… Jowy?"

_Spirit of Bushido… Truest power of Support…_

His face displayed a frown.

"Well… that's certainly a new one…"

Pesmerga nodded, "I have heard rumors of there being a True Warrior rune… but I never thought it would actually be unsealed…"

Futch grimaced, "Let us turn the corner and face what is coming to us."

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"I thought Joshua had died…"

"Well, I never met him… so your guess is as good as mine…"

"But the other rune… I've… felt it's presence before… thought I can't quite…"

Futch leapt in front of them, brandishing the Muramasa and bellowing a war cry.

"Those who stand before me, state your allegiance, and be recognized!!"

Pesmerga followed suit, but merely brought out his King Crimson.

The one in front, adorned with a green bandana, and carrying a well made staff calmly responded.

"Well met, Dragon Knight… you've grown much since I last saw you, Futch… and don't worry, your goal is the same as ours… we're here to help."

Futch looked over the entourage that had joined him. In front, were two sides of what seemed to be the same coin. Both Riou and Jowy calmly brandished their weapons, though Riou was the only one who smiled. Nanami, who he was sure had been dead, had a look of lovestruck awe in her eyes… and with her was Lilly of the republic of Tinto, and a girl who reminded him of Lady Chris… but also had a face he remembered from somewhere but couldn't place…

"Well guys… I don't know about Pesmerga here, but I'm grateful for the help…"

Pesmerga nodded, "Fill us in with a plan… and tell us what has transpired with you…"

And thus, the battle against Yuber was joined.

Don't fret, Runes and Revelations: Chapter 3, will speak of what the others experienced! The next chapter will deal with a split up group (as will the 3rd chapter of the other story)… and as always… Read and Review!

- Novalon


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